California Dreamin'
by CSIdestiny
Summary: Natalia moves to Miami in hopes of starting a new life away from abusive ex-husband, Nick, but all hell breaks loose when he follows her to Miami; Eric and Calleigh begin to explore their new feelings for each other. Set in season 4/5 with sprinkles of season 6.
1. California Dreamin'

**Title:** _California Dreamin'_

 **Genre:** _Angst/Drama_

 **Summary:** _Always a Californian girl, Natalia moves to Miami in hopes of starting a new life away from abusive ex-husband, Nick. Mention of Abuse scenes and angst._

 **Timeline:** _Season 4/5._

 **Pairing:** _Natalia/OC, and a little Eric/Calleigh_

 **Author's Note:** _It's been a long time coming, but thank you Anitra Mason for your patience and idea for this prompt. I am sorry that this is posted later than intended, I needed time to develop a plot and then I ended up moving and just now got my internet back. ._

 _This story veeeeery loosely follows some events and timeline of the show, though some events may not occur in order. Please forgive me for anything that sounds out of character. It's been a long time since I started a new story._

…

 _-There's a reason why she ended up in MDPD, there's a reason for it all.-_

" _All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray,_

 _I've been for a walk on a winter's day_

 _I'd be safe and warm, if I was in LA_

 _California Dreamin', on such a winter's day"_

 **Chapter 1:** **California Dreamin'**

 _She didn't know how much more of it she could take. Natalia felt like she was under the umbrella of abuse. She knew it was wrong, knew she'd lost a little bit of her light, but she didn't know what to do about it. Natalia sniffed and indistinctly placed a cool hand to her sensitive cheek, which was a direct result of Nick's anger towards her._

 _For the moment, Natalia felt relieved that Nick was out of the house. It gave her time to think about what she was going to do. Her friends had noticed she'd stopped hanging out with them. Natalia had never been like that before. She was always the life of the party. It only took a few times for Nick to knock her down a few notches…_

 _Sighing, she wished she could use the excuse that he was drunk and that was the reason why he was out of his mind. Natalia knew she had to get out; she didn't want to be part of the statistics and didn't want to be that woman. It wasn't so easy to leave the relationship as most people thought. Natalia jumped as the front door burst opened, revealing an angry Nick. He didn't even say anything to her, just walked up to her and pushed her against the wall as he wrapped his hands around her neck…_

Natalia gasped as the machine beeped, indicating that a match had come up in the database. She sighed, thankful she had the DNA lab to herself for the moment. It was cases like this that put her mind in a frenzy and like an army vet with PTSD, her mind acted on its own, drifting to grisly details of her past.

She needed to get herself together, but the question was how? The team was currently working on a case of a murdered twenty-five year old with a three-year old son and all signs and theories led to domestic abuse. Natalia's heart dropped in her stomach as the name finally showed, revealing the victim's husband.

Natalia jumped slightly as the glass door of the lab snapped open and Eric came in. "Are you okay?" Eric asked, concern evident in his voice. Natalia's jump did not go unnoticed by him.

Natalia nodded her head. "Yeah…it's this case…"

Eric nodded his head, already knowing the effect this case would have on Natalia. In his opinion, men who beat on women were cowards. He had sisters and nieces and the thought of any of them falling prey to a man was sickening to him. Eric's jaw clutched in response and he looked at the computer. "Do you have a name?"

"Um, yeah," Natalia said, shaking her head. "DNA belongs to Michael Benton," she said, turning the computer screen to face Eric. "Apparently he's already done time for domestic abuse. Six months…"

"…And he's out," Eric said, letting out a sigh. "Alright, I'll have PD bring him in."

Natalia nodded her head as she watched Eric walk out the lab. She rubbed her arms comfortingly as details of her own attack crept back in her mind. Her ex-husband was currently serving time for domestic abuse. Shaking her head, she decided that work may take her mind off of things and started to write the report on her findings.

As the evening drew to a close, they were no closer to an arrest. Their suspect, the victim's husband, stated the obviousness of his DNA on the victim. They needed to review their evidence, revisit the crime scene but as the day ended, it was a job for the evening CSIs. Natalia punched out and shifted her card to _off-duty._ She couldn't wait for the fresh air of the evening.

…

" _You should stay home for the night," Nick said, stroking the soft, golden skin of Natalia's face. He pushed a few strands of her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. He looked in her wide, brown eyes, "you went out last weekend. You should stay home with your husband."_

 _Natalia smiled and bit her lip. "I know, I knowww," she dragged out. "It's Tammy's birthday and I'm her best friend…she's kinda expecting me to be there…"_

 _Nick cocked his head to the side, his eyes going feral like an angry cat. "So spending time with Tammy is more important than spending time with your husband?" She didn't even get the chance to answer before Nick backhand smacked her in the face with enough force that sent her flying to the kitchen's floor._

 _The metallic taste of blood instantly filled Natalia's mouth and she sat against the kitchen's island to regain some composure. She found herself gasping in shock over the fact that Nick had hit her._

" _I'm so sorry, Nat," Nick said, extending his arm to help her up. "I don't know what happened, but it will never happen again…"_

 _Natalia took his hand and stood up. Her eyes stung with tears. She and Nick had been married for a year and half and never before had he hit her. She was aware of the statistics regarding domestic abuse and knew if it had happened once, it would happen again. She hoped it wouldn't. She and Nick had planned to settle and have a family…_

The crack of thunder woke Natalia out of her sleep and she looked at her clock, noting the time at 11:50PM. It was going to be a lonely night. Her new husband, Mike was working extended hours at the police station on road assistance as a tropical storm had settled over Miami. Nights like these, she wished she was back in California where tropical storms and hurricanes weren't an issue. Rain pounded the window as the storm continued to crackle in the sky.

Natalia jumped when her phone rang. Pushing the comforter away from her, she stood to answer it. She made it on the third ring. "Hello?" Natalia answered sleepily.

"Yes, Natalia?" the woman on the other end said. Once she confirmed it was Natalia she was speaking to, she continued. "It's Heather from the BWJP," she said, naming the group Natalia belonged to. "I was sending this call as a notification that Nick is out of jail. If you'd like to come in for a meeting, feel free to stop by for support at any time."

Natalia felt her veins go cold. This could not be happening. "Okay, thank you." Hanging up the phone, Natalia let out a breath of air. Nick was in jail in California…she was Miami on an entirely different coast. There were millions of people in the world, there was absolutely no chance that Nick would even begin to think that she was in Miami.

A bolt of lightning struck near her house followed by the crack of thunder. Natalia contemplated calling her husband but decided against it. She climbed back in bed and pulled the blankets to her neck. At only 12:00am, it was going to be a very long night.


	2. Fear of Flying

_Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! I loved them so much! This chapter has a little EC…Natalia has so much angst, I had to offset it just a little with some romance/humor (I'm sorry, they're my OTP so I had to include them.)_

 _I borrowed a few lines from episode 5x21 "Just Murdered" and 5x04 "If Looks Could Kill." Hope none of this sounds out of character, but here we go. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2:** _Fear of Flying_

"That dust lift you collected is pristine," Calleigh commented as she wrote out notes that pertained to the case. They'd been working the domestic abuse case for two days now and finally had a break in the case.

"Thanks," Eric said. He was currently working on his collected evidence of a shoe print collected on the victim's door, indicating a break in. The victim's husband was still a person of interest and currently Eric had his shoes. "I'm preparing it against Michael Benton's shoes…they must be his favorite pair…they have a nice wear pattern."

"Is it unique enough for a match?" Calleigh questioned with a slight lilt in her voice.

"Hmm, I tell you what," Eric said, turning the screen in Calleigh's direction. "Why don't you tell me."

Calleigh let out a breath as the treads matched up. "That's a match." She smiled at Eric.

"I'd like to see him explain his way out of this," Eric said. "I can't wait to sink him." Finally, Eric felt relieved. There would be justice for the victim, justice for the victim's son, peace for Natalia and a few points in his corner for Calleigh. Since his accident, Calleigh had been there for him the most, assisting him in everything that he needed. He looked up at Calleigh as she was about to leave the lab. "Calleigh, I want to thank you…for taking care of that girl today."

Calleigh smiled and shrugged it off. "It's no problem. You would've done the same thing for me."

But that wasn't the point Eric was trying to make. "Yeah…it's just that you've helped me out a lot this year."

"Well, I appreciate you for appreciating me," Calleigh said. _"I appreciate you for appreciating me?_ To her, it was easily one of the cheesiest things that has ever come out of her mouth, but then again, it wasn't hard for someone like Eric Delko to make her say things like that. His personality, his charm, his smile all combined with a slight touch of innocence made her fall in love with him. Before Calleigh's mind could process what she was doing, she was already leaning into his face, her mind registering just in time to let her know that she was about to kiss him. She turned slightly to kiss his cheek. The electricity still soared through her body, making her feelings for him come alive. She had to walk away.

Eric felt the same jolt of electricity. Just in a matter of seconds, his mind replayed the moment over at least ten times. He wanted it to happen again, wanted to relive the moments leading up to it. A smile played at his lips as his mind went through the moment one more time…

"What was that all about?" Natalia said, opening the door to the lab.

Eric snapped back to reality. "Nothing, nothing," He was caught off guard and knew it. "What's up?"

Natalia smirked slightly, wanting to taunt, but her heart wasn't in it. If she was completely honest, her stomach wasn't in it either. The last two days were so upsetting to her that it made her physically sick. She shrugged it off and handed Eric a case file. "Trace we found on Michael Benton's shoe was a match to the sample Alexx provided from the victim…"

Eric scoffed. He didn't want to think about what their victim had been through. "Case closed, then. We got him."

Natalia nodded and smiled. "I'm heading down to interrogation now."

Eric nodded. "Alright, I'm going to finish writing these reports."

…

Nothing was more satisfying in life than putting a criminal away and making the streets a little safer. The domestic abuse case was finally closed which caused Natalia to walk with a little more pep. She couldn't wait to get home to cuddle next to her husband in a nice warm bath. The thought brought a smile to her face. She soon lost it at another familiar sight. "Nick?"

Nick looked up to see Natalia and gave a crooked smirk. "I'm so glad I found you," he said.

Natalia couldn't believe Nick had found her. She purposely moved miles away just to make sure he wouldn't.

He stepped closer to her, closing the gap between them. "You left our home in California to come here? I see you're a CSI now…crime scenes are your thing now, huh? Collecting DNA, but then again, you always knew a thing or two about collecting that…"

A chill ran down Natalia's back and she took a step back as Nick continued. She wondered how he knew so much about her. Who was giving him this information?

"…so you're living in the condo next to Biscayne –"

"I –"

"Don't open your mouth to lie to me," Nick snapped. "You should know me well enough by now to know that I always get what I want and right now _I want you_."

The words caused goosebumps to flare on Natalia's arms. Before she could say anything, Nick started talking again.

"Come on, Nat…" he touched her forearm gently. "Let's go back to California…we can start that family you wanted…"

Natalia pushed at him. "Stay away from me! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

"Woah, woah," Eric said, stepping in to break up the fight. It was the first time Eric had ever seen Natalia lose it like that. He turned to the guy. "Why don't you get lost."

Nick cocked his head sideways. "Oh I get it, you're sleeping with her…" He looked at Natalia.

Eric rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"I'll see you later," Nick said to Natalia. He walked back to the elevator, smiling at Natalia just as the doors closed.

"Who was that?" Eric asked.

"My ex-husband," Natalia said nervously. "I…I have a protection order against him…I need to get it checked out…he's not allowed within one hundred feet –"

"Calm down, Natalia," Eric said. "Everything is going to be alright."

Natalia nodded. Her stomach clutched. She looked at Eric. "I need to check on some things…"

Eric nodded and looked at the clock. "Do you want me to walk with you to PD?"

Natalia appreciated the gesture but she had other things planned. She looked at Eric and shook her head. "Thanks, but I got it."

"Okay," Eric said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

…

" _I appreciate you for appreciating me…"_ And then she kissed him. Calleigh couldn't believe that she kissed Eric. She kissed him, _she kissed him,_ SHE KISSED HIM! Only on the cheek, but still… "What were you thinking, Duquesne?" she said, scolding herself out loud.

"Talking to yourself?"

Calleigh's head snapped towards the voice, her eyes relaxing when she saw it was Jake, her ex-boyfriend from the academy. Of all places in the southern United States, Jake ended up in Miami, in the same police department. It was a small world.

"I see you still like to do that," Jake said with a cocky grin on his face.

For once, Calleigh was grateful Jake wasn't inquiring why she was talking to herself. She rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, Berkeley."

Jake shrugged his shoulders as he walked closer. He wanted to rekindle whatever he and Calleigh had before but needed Calleigh to give him a chance. "How about drinks tonight?"

"Not tonight," Calleigh said.

"Why not?"

Calleigh shook her head as her mind searched for an excuse. She had a mental block and nothing came up except that fact that she'd fallen in love with Eric. Surely she wasn't going to say that to Jake. She didn't even know how Eric felt about her to begin with. After all, they were best friends and admitting those feelings could complicate things. Calleigh shrugged it off. "What time?"

The cocky smile returned to Jake's face. "I'll be at your house in an hour." He waited for Calleigh to get in her car and pull off before he climbed on his motorcycle and pull out of the garage.

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed! More soon! xx_


	3. Million Years Ago

_A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews so far! I'm sorry this chapter is extremely late. "/ I had a lot going on personally and then I was hit with writer's block (on both of my stories). Anyway, since I'm on vacation, I thought it would be perfect to begin working on my stories again so here's the new chapter. : )_

 _Events and timelines are different in my fanfiction than they occur on the show. Please don't hold it against me(:_

 _Enjoy!_

 **Chapter 3:** _Million Years Ago_

" _I miss the air, I miss my friends,_

 _I miss my mother, I miss it when… Life was a party to be thrown,_

 _But that was a million years ago."_

The last few months had been a rough one for Natalia. Now that Nick was in Miami, he proved that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Because of a public altercation with him at a crime scene, Nick had ordered a restraining order against her. She was no longer allowed to do field work; her hours, and duties were limited to lab work only. It was humiliating. Nothing was private – Nick didn't want it that way – and Natalia felt that everyone in the lab and police department were following her life as if it was a bad reality show.

She felt as if she'd lost her dignity. Even as the dust had started to settle, Natalia nearly lost her job and many nights she cried, wondering if Miami was the best place for her anymore.

"Babe," Natalia's husband, Mike said, pulling Natalia out of her thoughts. Things had been rough in their household lately as Natalia wasn't her normal cheerful and glowing self since her ex-husband had come around. He knew the details of the divorce and knew Nick was a violent person. He couldn't believe the measures Nick took just to spite Natalia, but Mike's professional duties were to serve and protect so naturally he would do anything to protect his wife. Still, despite all of the times he would tell Natalia that, she seemed not to believe it. "Are you going to be okay today?"

Today was going to be Natalia's first day back in the field after a few weeks and she tried to mentally prepare herself for that. She forced herself to look at her husband and give a nod and smile. "Yeah…I'll be fine."

Mike let out a quiet breath and ruffled his dark, brown hair before leaning in to give Natalia a peck on the cheek. "Call me whenever you need me. I don't care where I am, I'll be there. I love you."

"Love you too," Natalia said, opening the car door. "Be safe and see you later." Outside the car now, Natalia inhaled and exhaled the humid, Miami air that seemed tinged with a bit of salt mixed with palm and coconut. She never realized it before but she'd come to love the smell that seemed unique to Miami only. If she ever made the decision to move back to California, it would definitely be one of the things she would miss in Miami.

Natalia let out a breath as she thought about her husband. She couldn't ask him to uproot his life to move with her. Even though their marriage was new and she loved him very much, moving across the country was a lot to ask from anybody. God, Nick was ruining everything. It seemed he was doing everything in his power to get to her. Her thoughts broke when she received another page from Horatio. As fast as she could, Natalia walked into the CSI building to stock her kit and head to the crime scene.

She made it to the crime scene in record time. Checking the Hummer's clock, Natalia noted the time at 8:20AM. Natalia leaned her head against the headrest as she mentally prepared herself for the sight she would see. Once she got herself together, she stepped out of the truck, her heart dropping in her stomach at the person only a few feet from her crime scene.

"Oh, Nat…" Nick said smugly.

Her first day back in the field and she was faced with the person she dreaded the most. Still, she tried not to let that get to her. She spotted the officers on the scene and glanced at Nick. "What are you doing here?"

Nick stepped forward and Natalia took a step back. Nick chuckled off to the side and clapped his hands together. He looked at Natalia. "First day on the job. Figured if you can have a career change, I can too."

Natalia wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion as a chill ran through her body. The nature of the job was sensitive; it was the CSI's job to put the pieces of a murder together…she was afraid of Nick and didn't need him getting any ideas. Before she could ask, Nick started talking again.

"Crime scene cleanup. Since a certain someone…" he began as he touched Natalia's forearm, mentally laughing at her recoil, "…had me barred from the county jobs, I had to look elsewhere. I'm employed through private sectors...had to make a living somehow."

Natalia shook her head. This was not happening. She could barely see pass the fact that Nick was in Miami and now he was working crime scenes too? It was becoming too much for her.

"By the way," Nick said, breaking Natalia thoughts. "How long is it going to take to process the scene?"

Natalia rolled her eyes and turned towards the house. She hadn't even seen the inside and Nick was already asking for a timeline? She turned back to him. "Why? The blood's not going anywhere?"

"I have something to do," Nick said, a smirk appearing on his face.

Natalia raised her eyebrows before rolling her eyes. "I don't know but I'll think I'll take my sweet time."

Nick nodded his head as he watched Natalia walk off. "You look good in green." He smirked again as Natalia scoffed. It was only a matter of time before he got her back.

…

"Hey."

Eric couldn't help himself from smiling at the sweet but firm voice that also carried a southern accent that he'd come to love. Her mixture scent of lavender and vanilla wafted before her appearance but once he saw her, Eric needed the distraction of the computer to keep from staring. God help him; he was in too deep.

Calleigh crossed her arms across her chest. In the micro minute that she'd been in DNA, she noticed a shift in Eric. It wasn't a bad thing, but wasn't necessarily a good thing either. Eric was her friend and colleague and despite whatever feelings they both had, crossing that line may come with drastic consequences. In the same micro minute later, Calleigh shifted her attention back to the case. "Ryan called me. Have you got those prints from the crime scene?"

He would be lying if he said that the only thing on his mind was processing the evidence of this case. A few months had passed since Calleigh had kissed him…on the cheek…and even though at the time it seemed that things were heading in the right direction, a look in her eyes right now showed him that maybe she didn't feel the same way anymore and he could guess the source of that:

Jake Berkeley.

Jake was the undercover cop that had joined the day shift homicide team and apparently Calleigh was attracted to him.

Only Eric had no idea that Calleigh and Jake had already had a history.

And the last thing Eric wanted to even think about right now was Calleigh and Jake together, Ryan and a crime scene, and DNA and fingerprints, but he was at work and this was his job so he nodded his head and turned back to the computer. "Yeah, Natalia sent them over. I'm running them through AFIS right now."

Instantaneously, a named popped up in the database and they were given a suspect. Eric shook his head in confusion as he read their suspect's list. "He doesn't have a record."

Calleigh quirked her eyebrow and uncrossed her arms. "Not yet. I'll have PD bring him in."

Eric watched as Calleigh walked out of the lab and sighed. Somehow, he had to get to her.

* * *

 _Happy Holidays everyone! I will try to have another chapter soon!_


	4. Salted Wound

_I can't thank you guys enough for allowing me to share my imagination with you all! I appreciate all of you for taking the time to read and review my stories; it means so much to me! I hope you all enjoy the chapter!  
_

* * *

" _You know I trust you with my life," Calleigh stated. "I don't even know how I feel about Jake yet."_

And then Calleigh and Jake kissed and Eric couldn't help but blame himself. He pushed her to make a decision, but he didn't know she would choose Jake. Eric sighed and checked his watch, noting the time at 7:20PM. Calleigh had called him to her house, which Eric could only assume was to let him down gently; she was going to tell him that there was no chance in hell that he would ever have with her and to let him know that they were friends and would always remain friends…

Eric shook his head. He couldn't believe he'd come all the way to Calleigh's house to be let down. Just as he turned away from her door, he heard the door unlock.

"Are you running away from me?" Calleigh joked.

A small spot in his heart had warmed at her attempted humor and Eric wanted to smile, but he had stop himself. He had to shut down all of his feelings for her. Calleigh made her choice…he had to learn to live with it.

Calleigh clenched her teeth together, seeing that her usual weak attempt of humor had done nothing for Eric. She knew what Eric had saw in the lobby of CSI had hurt him; she saw it in his eyes at CSI and it showed on his face right now. Calleigh let out a quiet breath and looked away to gain her composure. "Eric…"

"Calleigh…" Eric said. He would save her the trouble of saying the words that would inevitably come. It was his fault for putting himself in this position. He shouldn't have given her the impression that she needed to choose. _He_ crossed those lines, mistaking her kindness for romantic feelings. She was clearly a great friend and he might have fractured the friendship. Eric let out a hard breath. "I never meant to make you feel you needed to choose. Your friendship meant a lot to me…I'm sorry for putting you in that position…"

Calleigh wrinkled her eyebrows and shook her head before looking up at him. "Eric," she said, effectively quieting him. "You didn't…" she looked away and pursed her lips to let out a breath. She looked at Eric again. "Like I said earlier, you already know how I feel about you –"

Eric swallowed and shifted his position. He didn't need her to break it down for him, he didn't want to relive the moment. "Calleigh, I already know –"

"Eric, will you stop getting ahead of me?" Calleigh said, cutting him off. Once she had Eric's attention, she started talking again. "I never felt the need to choose when it was obvious…"

 _Ouch._ Eric felt as if he'd been kicked in the chest and coughed. Was she trying to hurt him? Eric shook his head. He didn't need her to explain. "Look Calleigh, it's alright…"

Calleigh rolled her eyes. "Eric!" she said. "What I'm trying to say is I never felt I needed to choose between you and Jake." She threw her hands in the air. "Obviously, _Eric,"_ she poked him roughly in retaliation for making her upset. "I thought I made it clear that it was you while we were in the field?"

Confusion spread across Eric's face. "What about what happened at CSI? You kissed him…" He drifted off when Calleigh gave him a warning glare.

Calleigh sighed and her expression softened. Eric's assumption was understandable, just as she made assumptions about who Eric was dating in the past. She looked at Eric. "What you saw wasn't exactly what you're making it out to be." Calleigh shrugged her shoulders. "Jake and I had a relationship before which was unpredictable and unstable…that wasn't going to happen again..."

Eric shifted his position again and shook his head. _She had kissed Jake though._ Her words weren't making sense with her actions. "Calleigh, I don't want…"

Calleigh leaned in and kissed Eric to shush him. She pulled back and quirked her eyebrows. Part of her wanted to smile that she was able to silence him through a kiss, but she used the moment to speak. "For the record, I didn't kiss him, you would know –"

Now Eric quieted her through a kiss. He needed the connection back. There was still so much that needed to be worked through but for now, it felt right. They broke apart and Eric looked in her eyes. "I'm not just the better choice am I?" Eric asked. Part of him was afraid to ask the question because he was afraid of the answer, but he needed to know.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach but Calleigh found herself craving more. Sure she'd been kissed before, hell, kissed only hours ago, but Eric's kiss was passion-filled and not full of lust. Though the words weren't said, he loved her. He showed it through his kiss and she loved him as well. Calleigh shook her head no. "Eric, between you two, there was never a choice."

Eric nodded his head and smiled.

Calleigh gestured to the door. "Do you want to go inside?"

Eric smiled. "Sure."

…

A million thoughts instantly ran through Natalia's mind as she stared at the small, white stick in her hand whose digital letters read "pregnant." She had not been feeling well for at least a week but associated the cause to the general feeling of death that came with crime scenes. The team had just closed a case involving a serial killer, which was unnerving to her. Natalia washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe she was going to be a mom. It was something she wanted to experience in life but then again, it couldn't have come at a worse time. Even though things had started to calm, Nick was still in Miami, still working crime scenes that she worked and still very much someone she didn't trust.

Natalia sighed and chuckled softly. She had to let Nick go; she needed to focus on her future with her husband and their lives with a new baby and that started with telling him about her pregnancy. With an idea in mind, Natalia went to the kitchen to start dinner. She would deliver the news by cooking a dinner that consisted of baby back ribs, baby corn and baby potatoes. A smile spread across Natalia's face at how happy her husband would be to know that they were having a baby.

Wavy brown hair, tossed in his line of sight which almost caused his heart to skip a beat. Unnoticed from the kitchen window, he could tell that she was excited about something. He chuckled to himself. It was time. Nick was ready to put his plan into motion and get Natalia back once and for all.

* * *

 _When I was little, I watched Full House and I always loved the idea of a baby-themed meal, so I took the idea from full house lol. Please forgive me for any grammar/spelling errors, I proofread but sometimes it's hard to find all of the mistakes.  
_

 _So things are gonna take a slight turn...I hope to have a new chapter soon!_


	5. Holding On

_I didn't abandon this story - it was just finding time to write it out. I will try not to have such a huge break between chapters but I hope you guys enjoy. Even though I always say this, I feel I should mention that I've taken the dialogue from the show to fit my story even if it doesn't match. :) Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5:** _Holding On_

The humidity was just starting to settle in along with the Miami heat. It was only nine-thirty in the morning and the temperature has risen to a hazy eighty-eight degrees. It was days like this that Natalia wished she could just work in the comfort of the air-conditioned lab but with three homicides within twenty-four hours, the team was busy. Right now, she and Ryan were working a crime scene while Calleigh and Eric worked another. The third crime scene was going to be processed by the entire team with Ryan and Calleigh processing the physical scene as it involved a great deal of trace evidence while she and Eric processed DNA and fingerprints. Natalia sighed. It was going to be a long and busy day. She turned off the car, grabbed her kit and walked towards Ryan who was already processing the warehouse crime scene.

"Hey," Ryan greeted, letting the camera fall to his side as he scratched his eyebrow. He couldn't wait to finish processing the scene but the thought that another crime scene was already lined up for him was a bit overwhelming. "Busy night in Miami."

Natalia quirked her eyebrows. "Hmm." She sat her kit down on the floor and grabbed a pair of gloves while her eyes wandered the warehouse. "Where's the body?"

"With Alexx," Ryan said, matter-of-factly. "You know, we've been on the scene for about an hour now…" He looked at Natalia. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Natalia said. Despite having a close relationship with her colleagues, she had yet to tell anyone at CSI that she was pregnant. "I actually got wrapped up with some cold cases and didn't realize there was a call out. Go figure…"

Ryan raised his eyebrows because he knew Natalia wasn't telling him the truth. Not too long ago the team discovered that she was the mole in the lab. Even though Natalia was part of their team now, he had the most difficult time coming around to her. Before he could question her further, Natalia called him over to check out her findings.

"Check this out," Natalia said, turning back to the evidence when Ryan squatted next to her. "There's a void and a faint oil trail…"

"Yeah, I noticed the void too," Ryan said. What he didn't notice before was the faint oil trail. It always paid to have a second pair of fresh eyes. He raised his camera to his eyes and focused the lens and took a picture of the trail. He then marked it. "I'm going to follow this, okay?"

"Yeah," Natalia said. She opened her kit to get a forensic swab to collect the trace evidence. As soon as she labeled her evidence, she felt her stomach flutter. She associated the feeling with the fetus growing inside of her, but just as she stood up, she knew why she had the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. Standing at the entrance of the warehouse was Nick. Natalia looked around for Ryan.

"He's…out," Nick said, clearly amused. "Following the trail."

Natalia's mind began to put pieces together. It didn't make any sense that Ryan knew about the void but not the oil trail. So that meant that Nick sabotaged the crime scene, but how? How did he know that she would be called out to that scene? Her thoughts left as Nick took a step. "Cleanup is…isn't supposed to be here until we finish processing," Natalia said, trying to hold on to her vocal strength. It was no use.

Nick stepped forward, humored at the position he'd put Natalia in. He tapped his wrist. "Tick-tock."

Natalia looked around for Ryan, an officer, anybody who could hear the commotion going on inside the warehouse. Nobody showed. She turned back to Nick only to see that he was merely inches from her. She took a step back.

"Nat…" Nick reached out to stroke Natalia's hair.

The heat from Nick's hand was nauseating and Natalia took a step back. Everything happened fast as she let out a yelp as Nick wrapped his hand around her wrist. She fought against him and as a last resort, she screamed.

Nick clutched his jaw. Natalia was trying to draw attention that he didn't need. He pulled her closer. "You're coming with me."

"No – no," Natalia cried out as she fought against him. She needed to get things under control. Using skills she learned, she kneed Nick hard in the groin which caused him to recoil and let her go immediately, but instead of him running away, he reached into his jacket. Natalia saw her life flash before her eyes as her vision made out the object in his hand. Before she could think about what was about to happen, she felt the hot lead pierce her body followed by the pain associated with a gunshot…

"Natalia, _Natalia,_ Natalia," Ryan called.

Natalia snapped awake at hearing her name being called. She checked her body for the wound: there wasn't one.

"Must have been some night," Ryan smirked. Seeing that Natalia didn't find the humor in his joke, he spoke again. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Natalia said, running her hand across her eyebrow. She couldn't believe that what she experienced was a dream. She shook her head. "I don't…I don't know why –"

"It's okay," Ryan said, looking out the glass walls of the lab. "Please tell me you analyzed the DNA sample before you went nappy nap."

Natalia rolled her eyes but reached for the results that were already printed on the table. "Justin Meyers. DNA belonged to Justin Meyers, a kid already in the system for burglary."

"Well, he just got another charged added to his list," Ryan said. He looked at Natalia. "Thanks. I'll check on you later."

Natalia nodded her head as her hand found its way back to her forehead. She still couldn't believe it was only a dream but was very thankful that it was. "Thanks."

It was a little later in the day and Natalia was starting to feel a little more comfortable. She was a bit apprehensive when she received the call out for a new crime scene but it was in a public location, unlike the warehouse in her dream. She arrived at the scene and Eric was already processing it. She got out and quickly went to the secured scene.

"Hey," Eric said.

"Hey," Natalia said, walking with him to the middle of the intersection. "So, this is where the car was towed from, right here."

"Yep. We just…we need the point of impact."

"Okay," Natalia said. "Well, we've got tire marks, possibly brake marks?" she asked as she ran the steps in her head. She was still fairly new to field work; before she was only limited to lab work.

Eric squatted and looked closer at the tire marks. "Nah, they're darker at the inception. You know, the rubber sloughs off…it means the driver was accelerating. Whoever was driving that car definitely wanted our victim dead." Eric looked a little further away to a cell phone on the street. He stood up to collect the evidence.

Just as Natalia was wrapping her mind around theories, she heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, look who's out of the lab," Nick said.

" _This can't be happening,"_ Natalia thought. Just like in her dreams, Nick had showed up to her crime scene. She took a step back. "What the hell are you doing here, Nick?"

"Bought myself a scanner, you know, keep up with all the hot crime scenes…" Nick said, taking a step forward.

"That's stalking," Natalia said. She was frustrated and scared. Her stomach fluttered as Nick's face hardened and he stepped under the police tape. She couldn't believe he'd gotten so far. Even though the scene was crowded with officers, no one stopped to figure out what the commotion was about. Natalia took another step back.

Nick eyed Natalia from the short distance between them. "You know, a man can change."

"Not you, Nick," Natalia said. She kept her eyes on him. No one stopped him. She would have to fight him.

Nick reached out to her. "Come on, Nat. Let's just hug it out."

Natalia felt the hot heat from his hand – just like in her dreams. She couldn't take it. She didn't want to die. Just as Nick closed in on her, she pushed at him hard. "Stay away from me. Just stay away from me!"

"Hey, hey," Eric stood and walked towards Natalia. He pulled her back. "Check the perimeter for debris." He couldn't believe what just unfolded. He watched as Natalia walked away. He would have to deal with Nick. "You're inside a crime scene, you need to leave."

Nick chuckled, ignoring Eric. "I need to talk to her."

Eric couldn't believe that Nick was challenging him. He clutched his jaw and put his hand out so stop Nick from moving. "You're contaminating a crime scene, you need to get out of here."

Seeing how he was unnerving Eric, Nick kept antagonizing. "She got something from you, didn't she? You know, that's her style, tit for tat."

Eric let out a breath. "You got about two seconds."

Even though he'd been following Natalia, he had no idea that she was already married. The way Eric was protecting her, he figured that Natalia was with him. He looked at Eric. "You want my advice? Run…run from this chick. You have no idea who she is."

Natalia was fairly new to the team but Eric worked with her in the lab. He still didn't know a lot about her except that her ex-husband was abusive. He also knew there were two sides to every story and wondered if there were any truth in Nick's words. Just as Nick left, Eric sighed the problem away. He didn't want to be involved and right now he had a crime scene to finish processing. He went back to his work.

If it took staging an intervention to get to the bottom of this, that's what they were going to do. Calleigh had spoke with Ryan earlier and he expressed his concerns about Natalia as he caught her sleep in DNA. Then as she and Eric were having lunch, he'd mentioned that Nick visited the crime scene which resulted in a physical altercation between Natalia and Nick. As second-in-command, Calleigh felt it was her duty to get down to it and figure out what was going on before it became a problem to Stetler. The lab was still building its reputation up after the mole situation and Eric failing his drug test. Calleigh exhaled and open the door to the lab. "I heard you had an unwelcome visitor today."

Natalia looked at the phone she'd been writing a report on and muttered "Eric." Just like high school, words spread like wildfire.

Calleigh picked up the tone in Natalia's voice and didn't want her to think that he'd told her to spread drama. "He's just concerned about you and you know what, quite frankly, so am I. What's going on?"

Natalia's stomach fluttered. She didn't even know where to begin but everyone wanted answers. She turned to Calleigh. Maybe she could use the girl talk. "It's not good. I'm terrified of him, Calleigh and he's capable of anything. You know what's crazy? My therapist thinks this is some kind of suppressed attraction."

Calleigh folded her arms and exhaled. Though she never experienced spousal abuse, she shared empathy for women who went through it. "What do you think it is?"

Natalia let out a breath of air. "I don't know…sometimes I just want to kill him."

"I can understand that but you may not want to say it out loud," Calleigh said.

Natalia laughed. "That's good advice. Thank you."

"I'm gonna check on you later, okay?"

"I really appreciate that," Natalia said, smiling. It felt good to have the team concerned about her. She watched as Calleigh walked out the door and she continued working on her evidence.

* * *

 _Hope you all enjoyed. Please forgive me for any grammar/spelling errors. I proofread but it's hard to find them all. :)_


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